NYC Is Getting a New Area Code

If you've watched

Seinfeld

, you

probably know

that phone numbers are a status symbol in New York City. Veteran residents prize their 212 area codes—Manhattan’s original area code—while later arrivals are stuck with newer sets of digits, like 917 or 646, which give them away as transplants. Now,

Gothamist reports

that a new three-digit code, 332, will soon exist to mark city newbies. The 332 area code will roll out in Manhattan this summer, starting June 10. Old-school New Yorkers are expressing dismay about the addition, but it technically isn’t a surprise, since the New York Public Service Commission first announced the news in 2015. So many people and businesses need New York numbers—a phenomenon that’s partly due to the rise of mobile devices—that the North American Numbering Plan Administrator (NANPA), the organization that oversees area codes, forecasts that if it weren't for the new area code, Manhattan would have no "available central office codes" by 2017’s end,

according to CNN

. In short, get used to the new 332 addition, and expect more to follow. For some, changes like this mark the end of yet another New York City era. But to others, they mark a business opportunity: Websites like

212areacode.com

sell 212 phone numbers to status-hungry residents and businesses who don't want a newer area code and are willing to pay top dollar for the subtle (albeit snobby) signifier.